History of US Naval Operations in WWII

History of United States Naval Operations in World War II

by Samuel Eliot Morison, Dudley Knox (Introduction)

This final narrative volume of Morison's history recounts the infamous campaigns for Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two of the most bitterly contested campaigns of the war. When the U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima, they expected to secure it within a few days. No one had anticipated Japan's determination to defend the island to the last man. Morison describes the Japanese defense system of camouflaged rifle pits and fortified gunning positions that held the Allies at bay and the heavy and continuous cover of naval gunfire that prevented even greater losses. As it was, the securing of Iwo Jima cost the United States more casualties than had been incurred in taking any other island in the Pacific. On Okinawa, the conflict stretched over six long, bloody months.

As land forces struggled for every inch they took on the islands, the U.S. Navy faced the desperate fury of the kamimaze corps and its harvest of flaming terror: explosions, burning and flooded ships, searing injuries and death. Fierce weather, logistical complexities, Japanese submarines, and the unexpected death of President Roosevelt also took their toll. Morison concludes his epic account with the final skirmishes of the war, the fateful decision to drop the atomic bomb, and the delicate negotiations leading to Japanese surrender.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, Nautical, Military History, Naval History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Samuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955.

He had World War I service as a private in the US Army, but not overseas. As he had done some preliminary studies on Finland for Colonel House’s Inquiry, he was detailed from the Army in January 1919 and attached to the Russian Division of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, at Paris, his specialty being Finland and the Baltic States. He served as the American Delegate on the Baltic Commission of the Peace Conference until 17 June 1919, and shortly after returned to the United States. He became a full Professor at Harvard in 1925, and was appointed to the Jonathan Trumbull Chair in 1940. He also taught American History at Johns Hopkins University in 1941-1942.

Living up to his sea-going background – he has sailed in small boats and coastal craft all his life. In 1939-1940, he organized and commanded the Harvard Columbus Expedition which retraced the voyages of Columbus in sailing ships, barkentine Capitana and ketch Mary Otis. After crossing the Atlantic under sail to Spain and back, and examining all the shores visited by Columbus in the Caribbean, he wrote Admiral of the Ocean Sea, an outstanding biography of Columbus, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He also wrote a shorter biography, Christopher Columbus, Mariner. With Maurico Obregon of Bogota, he surveyed and photographed the shores of the Caribbean by air and published an illustrated book The Caribbean as Columbus Saw It (1964).

Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Morison proposed to his friend President Roosevelt, to write the operational history of the US Navy from the inside, by taking part in operations and writing them up afterwards. The idea appealed to the President and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on 5 May 1942, Dr. Morison was commissioned Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve, and was called at once to active duty. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on 15 December 1945. His transfer to the Honorary Retired List of the Naval Reserve became effective on 1 August 1951, when he was promoted to Rear Admiral on the basis of combat awards.

In July-August 1942 he sailed with Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen (Captain John B. Heffernan, USN), on USS Buck, flagship, on convoy duty in the Atlantic. In October of that year, on USS Brooklyn with Captain Francis D. Denebrink, he participated in Operation TORCH (Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa - 8 November 1942). In March 1943, while attached to Pacific Fleet Forces, he visited Noumea, Guadalcanal, Australia, and on Washington made a cruise with Vice Admiral W. A. Lee, Jr., USN. He also patrolled around Papua in motor torpedo boats, made three trips up “the Slot” on Honolulu, flagship of Commander Cruisers, Pacific Fleet (Rear Admiral W.W. Ainsworth, USN), and took part in the Battle of Kolombangara before returning to the mainland. Again in the Pacific War Area in September 1943, he participated in the Gilbert Islands operation on board USS Baltimore, under command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun, USN. For the remainder of the Winter he worked at Pearl Harbor, and in the Spring

Reviews

[-ed- Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in law school, I couldn't afford vacations during spring and winter breaks, so I read instead. I started Vol. 1 On Christmas Eve, 1980 and finished the entire set by the spring break, my senior year, 1983. Perhaps the greatest historical work, written and researched contemporaneous with the war itself. A monumental task achieved brilliantly.

[Rays1944 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The definitive work on naval operations in WW2. Even with recent revelations after Morison's death, and occasional errata, it's a superb work. Deftly written, a wealth of both scholarship and his own experience during the war combine to make this a "must read" for any serious student of America's naval operations in WW2. The shorter version, "The Two-Ocean War," gives but an incomplete taste of Morison's skill as a writer as well as the technical and factual detail that make the 15-volume set worth acquiring.

My Dad was a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific during the war (June-December, 1944), and this series became a way for me to connect with him after he was killed in 1951. I started reading this (Volume 10) when I was 10 years old in 1954, and got one volume a year at Christmas every year for several years, each one devoured in a day or two immediately after Christmas. Once I graduated from college, I completed the set buy getting the final few volumes all at once.

I've gone back to read each volume multiple times over the years, and this set might be my most prized printed possession.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the definitive series on the Navy in WWII. Like Morison claims, the book is written for laypeople, and, as such, it is loaded with exciting descriptions of battles and colorful language. The scenes where ships sink are some of the most gruesome that I have ever read.
Besides just being interesting, however, the series is extremely accurate. Morison has recorded just about every detail about and every action taken by every ship in our Navy. He cites liberally from the official records of all navies, not just American but also Japanese, German and British. He analyzes every decision made by the officers in extreme detail, to the point where you feel like you're on the bridge with Nimitz or Halsey.
This series is a unique blend of both brilliant and entertaining, everyone who wants to have something to do with the Navy should read it.

[Eric_W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this set in my high school library, began reading and finished the whole set. If you have any interest in naval history at all, this is a must read. I really should go back and reread the whole set again.

[Anthony M Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor (Captain) Morrison's opus is the closest thing to an "offical" history of the US Navy in World War 2. It is a great read, long on action, nearly comprehensive on operations, if a little short on things like minor operations, command conflicts and administrative details and logistics. Morrison more or less follows the Douglas Southall Freeman policy of if you can't say something positive about a Southern gentleman (or US Navy officer) don't say anything at all. This, as well as some minor errors of fact is not too surprising as the work was written soon after the event (Morrison participated in some) . Why did the Navy never publish it's own "Official History" like the Army "Green Books"?

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, this took a while to get through. 15 volumes @300+ pages each around 5000 pages. It was not a ponderous read. Written in the narrative form it was downright fun. The detail and the background for the decision making was the most interesting part.

[Bob Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an invaluable, almost must-have reference/background source for any serious student of the U.S. Navy in WWII.

[Dan Cowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it has occasionally been proven wrong about its facts, Morison's 15-volume History of US Naval Operations in WWII is still considered the definitive work on the whole subject; certainly no one else has attempted to replicate both the depth and the breadth of this work.

Largely compiled from official reports during and directly following the war, it suffers from the limitations of those sources and that timeline. Many of the reasons why things happened were still classified when Morison wrote (such as the intercepts which led to the Americans knowing about the Japanese attack on Midway in advance) and some judgments were made without the benefit of perspective (Morison later regretted his harsh treatment of Short and Kimmel for Pearl Harbor and concluded that they had received a raw deal).

Despite its flaws, this remains one of the standard works on the subject, and can be found in the bibliography of nearly every following book dealing with the US Navy in WWII.

[Edward Guillaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the greatest collection of the US Pacific Theater of Operations in existence. Morison compiled an amazing feat for the "normal reader" instead of the "professional sailor" as he puts it, yet provides a vast array of facts and information that can be appreciated at any level. While outdated, the collection still provides enough detailed information for anyone starting any type of research. I enjoyed Morison's conclusions, which are collectively agreed upon even today, although he keeps it to a minimum. I still read this collection today for cross referencing while reading other PTO related materials. Also, it can be argued that Morison's work was somewhat influential in the creation of the 1952-53 documentary "Victory at Sea."

[Donmbrown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although overtaken by new scholarship (especially on the role of now declassified US cryptographic successes), Morison's work is the foundation for all subsequent work. Watch "Victory at Sea" and then read Morison.

[Bill Mcmurray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing work

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morrison's definitive account demonstrates the qualities of a great historian: In-depth research, passion for the subject and the ability to tell a good story. Not a light reading, Morrison's work delves into the depths of naval operations and focus on the why a battle occurred. Even so, his accounts of battles effectively provide a play-by-play narrative that helps one appreciate the flow of a battle and how perceptions of imminent victory or defeat shaped the outcomes.

Morrison's work is not without its issues, primarily in the area of bias and age. Morrison is unapologetically subjective; he served as an American naval officer during many of the battles he describes. No doubt exists on who Morrison views as the protagonist and the antagonist in World War 2. Likewise, the work is somewhat dated and therefore lacks more recent contributions to the fields of study.